Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young has officially been ruled out of Round 1 after re-injuring his hamstring at training.
The Dockers star suffered a low-grade hamstring strain early this month but was likely to make a return for the Community Series clash against Melbourne and Round 1 bout against Geelong, but scans confirmed that Young reinjured his hamstring at training on Saturday in a huge blow to Fremantle's chances to beat the Cats at their formidable fortress.
Promising defender Josh Draper will also miss Sunday's practice game with a low-grade hamstring strain and is a test for Round 1.
Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce remains a test to play in the Community Series match after rolling his ankle prior to the Indigenous All Stars game, with a Round 1 return presumably on the cards even if the captain fails to prove his fitness on Sunday.
Fremantle executive general manager Joe Brierty said timelines were still being finalised but Young will officially be ruled out of a Round 1 appearance.
โScans have revealed a minor re-strain of his previous injury, unfortunately this will rule Hayden out of Round 1,โ Brierty said.
โAt this point in time, we are still finalising timelines and we will be able to see how he progresses over the next fortnight. We expect to see Hayden returning in the early rounds of the season.โ
The Dockers head into 2025 with heavy expectations after acquiring the talents of Shai Bolton in the off-season. Bolton could now be poised to enter more midfield minutes in Round 1 with Young's absence, thrusting the new centre dynamic into action straight away for the 2025 campaign.
